Basehor library patrons vote down $3.79 million bond issue

Shortly after learning that a $3.79 million bond issue had failed, Basehor Community Library director Carla Kaiser jokingly told a group of supporters it was time for plan B.

Exactly what plan B entails has yet to be determined.

"I honestly don't think we will have plan B until after we talk to people and find out what their misgivings were," Kaiser said. "We need to see what, if anything, we can do next time."

Last week, patrons in the library district rejected, 587 to 806, a $3.79 million bond issue.

The library's future could be decided this week. The Basehor Community Library Board of Trustees were scheduled to discuss the bond issue at its meeting tonight.

Library board president Janice Garcia said another bond issue could be proposed soon. The prospect of pursuing another bond issue is her opinion only, Garcia said, not a consensus of the library board.

"We are going to have revisit that in a year, I think," Garcia said.

Basehor residents Ray and Anne Breuer donated the three acres of land to the library during a ceremony in April 2002. In the donation agreement, it stipulates the construction of a new library must occur within five years of the donation date.

Kaiser said the library would maintain possession of the donated property, which was appraised at a value between $250,000 and $300,000.

"We've got three years until we need to worry about that," she said. "Right now that's kind of a distant worry."

Kaiser said the library put forth a solid proposal to voters with the best intentions in mind. However, she believes the tax increase that would have been necessary concerned some voters.

"We're in economic times when everybody is concerned about taxes overall," she said.

An approved bond issue would have increased the library's mill levy by 7.79 mills; the current level is 3.23 mills.